Dragonguard
The Dragonguard is a faction that was founded, and is still led by the Six Voices. They originally intended it to be a small group of dragon hunters, but grew to an army of its own.thumb|The crest of the Dragonguard (sketch). History Foundation After the defeat of Alduin, Do'Ruthra decided it was necessary to have a faction that defended Skyrim from dragons, other than the Blades. He didn't like the Blades' methods, beceuse they wanted to kill every dragon they could lay their hands upon, while he sought alliances where he could (e.g. Paarthurnax and Odahviing). However, he couldn't change their mind so he and his dragonborn companions formed the Dragonguard. It was originally intended to be a small group consisting of Stormcloak soldiers and former Imperial soldiers who had dropped their flags after driving the Thalmor out of Skyrim and restoring the worship of Talos. They set up shop in the former Thalmor Headquarters at Castle Dour in Solitude, which was renamed to Dragonguard Headquarters. Growth After becoming famous in Skyrim, the Dragonguard gained the attention of the rest of Tamriel. Warriors and adventurers seeking fame, as well as people who had lost their homes and relatives to the dragons, came to Skyrim to join the Dragonguard, and it slowly grew to be an entire army of its own. It still had the support of the Stormcloaks, but it had become a different faction. Ulfric Stormcloak granted the Dragonguard nine forts, one for each hold in Skyrim, though the Dragonguard Headquarters in Solitude remained their center of operations. The Six Companions then unanimously decided that Mailic should be the General, because of his capabilities as a leader. Each fort got its own Commander, while Do'Ruthra, Rianne and Selewen became Commanders and Trainers of the Dragonguard Warriors, Mages and Archers, respectively. Ulfric Stormcloak also named the Six High Knights, the greatest rank in the Dragonguard next to General. Dragonguard Forts * Mistwatch in Eastmarch * Fort Neugrad in Falkreath * Fort Hraggstad in Haafingar * Fort Snowhawk in Hjaalmarch * Fort Dunstad in The Pale * Fort Sungard in The Reach * Fort Kastav in Winterhold * Fort Greymoor in Whiterun Hold Ranks * Cub (they do not participate in actual fights yet) * Ensign (Archers, Battlemages, Mages, Scouts, Soldiers) * Warrior (often referred to as 'Dragonheads' because of their heavy dragon-like armor) * Captain * Commander * High Knight Notable members The Six Voices All of the Six Voices are High Knights. * Do'Ruthra, founder of the Dragonguard and Commander of the Dragonguard Warriors * Dar'Krin, co-founder. * Mailic, co-founder and General. * Rianne, co-founder and Commander of the Dragonguard Mages * Selewen, co-founder and Commander of the Dragonguard Archers. * Xtutheel-Shei, co-founder. Fort Commanders * Eastmarch: Wulfharth Fire-Blood is the Commander of Mistwatch. * Falkreath: Amir Blackheart is the Commander of Fort Neugrad. * Haafingar: Tobias Cloud-Spreader is the Commander of Fort Hraggstad. * Hjaalmarch: Thorald Gray-Mane is the Commander of Fort Snowhawk. * The Pale: Ursine Bear-Claw is the Commander of Fort Dunstad. * The Reach: Samuel Molier is the Commander of Fort Sungard. * The Rift: Unmid Snow-Shod is the Commander of Fort Greenwall. * Winterhold: Kai Wet-Pommel is the Commander of Fort Kastav. * Whiterun: Avulstein Gray-Mane is the Commander of Fort Greymoor. Equipment Apparel The Dragonguard uses various different equipments, depending on rank and division. * Cubs, the lowest rank soldiers, don't have a specialty yet, so they only wear Dragonguard uniforms and Dragonguard light boots and gauntlets. * Ensigns wear armor depending on their division: * Archers and Soldiers wear Dragonguard light cuirasses, gauntlets, boots and helmets. * Mages and Battlemages wear Dragonguard mage robes, boots, gloves and hoods, which are all armored. * Scouts wear Dragonguard Scout cuirasses (a variant of the light cuirass), light gauntlets, boots and helmets. * Warriors are often referred to as 'Dragonheads' because of their armor. They wear Dragonguard Bone boots, gauntlets, cuirasses and helmets. * Captains wear Dragonguard light cuirasses, gauntlets, boots and helmets, but they also wear capes, as a badge of office. * Commanders wear Dragonguard Ornate boots, gauntlets, cuirasses and helmets, and a cape. * High Knights officially wear Dragonguard Ornate boots, gauntlets and cuirasses, but they wear a Dragonguard High Knight helmet and a Dragonguard Ornate cloak, although they usually wear their favorite armor. Weaponry The weapons the Dragonguard uses are less rank-dependent, but varies between divisions instead. All the swords are made out of enhanced Skyforge steel, giving it the strength of malachite swords, but retaining the weight of steel swords. Dragonguard bows strongly resemble their malachite counterparts, in strength, weight and appearance, but the appearance of the quiver and arrows is closer to that of steel. * Cubs use Dragonguard shortswords. * Archers and Scouts use Dragonguard bows and arrows, but also use a Dragonguard shortsword. * Soldiers, Captains and even Commanders use a Dragonguard sword. * Warriors use Dragonguard swords and greatswords. * The High Knights and the General use their own favorite weapons. Trivia The Commander of Neugrad, Amir Blackheart, is Mailics brother, but strangely he is not dragonborn. Thorald Gray-Mane, Avulstein's brother, was captured by the Thalmor and locked up in Northwatch, but he was rescued by Dar'Krin and Do'Ruthra. Unmid Snow-Shod was the Housecarl of Jarl Laila Law-Giver, but she agreed to make him a Dragonguard Commander, as long as the troops stationed in Greenwall protected Riften. Kai Wet-Pommel was a Stormcloak commander in Winterhold, but Ulfric recommended him as Dragonguard Commander, so he got the lead over Kastav. Ursine Bear-Claw is the only female Commander in the Dragonguard. However, she has proven herself both in brawls and real combat. The Dragonguard uniform, worn by cubs, is identical to the Hammerfell garb. This is because the General, Mailic, is a Redguard, native of Hammerfell. Gallery Commander Amir Blackheart.jpg|Commander Amir Blackheart in Dragonguard Ornate armor. Dragonguard Captain.jpg|A Redguard male in Dragonguard Captain armor. Dragonguard Warrior.jpg|One of the so-called 'Dragonheads', wearing full Dragonguard Bone armor and wielding a Dragonguard sword. Selewen Dragonguard Bow.jpg|Selewen wearing Dragonguard Captain's armor and wielding a Dragonguard bow. Scout01.jpg|A Dragonguard Scout in Whiterun. Dragonguard High Knight.jpg|A Dragonguard High Knight wearing Nordic Dragonplate armor and a Dragonguard Ornate Cloak. DragonguardMageRobes.jpg|A Dragonguard Battlemage casting a Lightning Bolt spell. External Links Scout Armor by Doodaboom, used for Dragonguard Light armor. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/7109 Image used for the Dragonguard High Knight armor. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/17153/ Silver Dragon Armor by Zerofrost, used for Dragonguard Ornate armor. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/18028 Alduin Scale Armor by justice123, used for the Dragonguard Bone armor. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/11259 Black Mage Armor by lRekol, used for Dragonguard robes. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/9645